Brain infections and early development
socioeconomic background of those affected by such infections can greatly affect the outcome for the child. The majority of those affected by the outbreak lived in impoverished communities, with either poor access to, or the inability to afford quality healthcare for the babies affected. Thus, many of the children affected by the virus didn’t receive the physical therapy and/or special education they needed due to the impact of the virus on their development. In fact, the epidemic was even more profound than initially thought, due to how often symptoms of CZS are latent until even a few years into a child’s life. To conclude, infections in the human brain during the earliest stages of development exemplify the fragility of developing human life and how serious the consequences can be when it is disturbed. As previously highlighted by the examples of CMV, Zika, and toxoplasmosis, a wide range of pathogens have the potential to irreversibly alter the course of a human’s development, in and out of the womb, resulting in a variety of consequences, ranging from manageable learning difficulties or slightly impaired hearing to severe disabilities, miscarriage, or stillbirth. The importance of the timing of acquisition of such infections is paramount to the outcome. The earlier in development the brain is infected, the greater the risk of more severe harm to the brain. Thus, it is essential that mothers are educated on prevention strategies, involving, but not limited to, improved hygiene, properly cooking food, avoiding mosquitoes in countries at risk, and safer sexual practices. Furthermore, ensuring that children that already have contracted the aforementioned infections in their early development are given the appropriate support they require. Fundamentally, these brain infections demonstrate the significance of early brain development, and how critical it is that disruption to this period must be avoided. Continuing to diagnose, support those affected, and educate mothers about the risks and modes of transmission of congenital brain infections is of the utmost importance to ensure that as many children have the best start to life as possible.
Bibliography
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